Halo Online may return as cross-platform free-to-play game that launches on PC, Xbox, and PS5

New reports indicate that Halo Studios is working on a persistent, always-online Halo game...and Microsoft's business practices fuel speculation that the new game could also launch on PlayStation consoles.

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Microsoft's dedicated Halo team is working on two projects right now. While they haven't been announced, rumors say that one of them is a Halo Combat Evolved remake on Unreal Engine 5, and the other is an online game. It's possible that the latter project is a cross-platform game that releases on PC and consoles, including Sony's PlayStation 5.

It's worth noting that the following is speculation based on rumor, but the guesswork is based on Microsoft's current business trends. Sources tell reliable leaker Rebs Gamingthat a "live service, long-term updating multiplayer game" is in the works at Halo Studios. Given Halo Infinite's success, this new multiplayer might also be free-to-play to maximize player reach.

The project might be a kind of spiritual successor to the cancelled free-to-play Halo Online game, which was an odd Halo multiplayer game that could only be played in Russia. Halo Online was in development by Saber Interactive and was built on Halo 3, but was ultimately cancelled and never released.

Releasing on PlayStation also makes sense, as Microsoft has chosen to break exclusivity with its Xbox games. The latest game to cross over to PlayStation is Flight Simulator 2024, which is coming to PS5 in December.

A simultaneous, cross-platform launch of a free-to-play Halo game could help reinvigorate the franchise, while also providing funding for the next mainline Halo game on Microsoft's next-gen Xbox console (and Sony's PlayStation 6).

Halo Studios has yet to make any kind of official announcements of the new Halo projects. The developer is expected to make some sort of reveal at this year's Halo World Championships, which is from October 24-26.